Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

StingRay - very low output. Is this normal?


Recommended Posts

I have a StingRay 3EQ bass - about three years old. It all seems to work as advertised except that the output seems very low. Both my G&L (Tribute) and a passive P-Bass blow it into the dirt output wise. I have to crank the input on my amp (An Ashdown ABM) up to almost max to get the needle over to 0dB at all. Is this right or is it broken? I've yet to get my hands on another one to compare.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='428546' date='Mar 8 2009, 01:03 PM']What's the pickup height like compared to the others? An active ray should blow the other passive basses away easily, unless your battery has run down[/quote]

The pickup heights are as they came out of the factory. They "look" sensible. The battery is new... it's always been like that, though. I just thought it was normal, but it's starting to seem like maybe it isn't!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='428547' date='Mar 8 2009, 01:04 PM']Change the battery? That should sort it out. You’d be amazed the difference it can make.[/quote]

It's not the battery - I'm stupid but not *that* stupid :). It's never been any different new battery or otherwise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='428550' date='Mar 8 2009, 01:07 PM']It's not the battery - I'm stupid but not *that* stupid :). It's never been any different new battery or otherwise.[/quote]

:rolleyes: ok, I guess it’s not a simple one…

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you take a measurement of the pickup impedance on your bass, maybe someone could do the same here. If there's a significant difference in the readings, it might be the pickup which has a broken winding. Alternatively you could check all the soldering joints inside the preamp cavity to see if there are any hanging by a thread (literally). I also don't know if there's a gain trim pot in the cavity which you could adjust perhaps? Apart from that I can only imagine it might be an Op-amp in the preamp circuit which is on its way out perhaps? I'm no expert, mind. Its just stuff I've encountered with my own instruments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='428524' date='Mar 8 2009, 12:37 PM']I have a StingRay 3EQ bass - about three years old. It all seems to work as advertised except that the output seems very low. Both my G&L (Tribute) and a passive P-Bass blow it into the dirt output wise. I have to crank the input on my amp (An Ashdown ABM) up to almost max to get the needle over to 0dB at all. Is this right or is it broken? I've yet to get my hands on another one to compare.[/quote]

It's broken. They're not exactly known for having low output.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No you are not the only one

My 20 th anniversary has a much lower output than my stirling a g&L and some of my other basses.

I did contact strings and things about it a few years ago, did some checks, but couldnt find anything wrong.

I think there is always the temptation to worry if something appears to be incorrect, but how much of a problem does it cause you? Mine sounds great, I can adjust the input gain on my eden and ashdown to suit.

The only pain is if you change your bass mid set then the levels are wrong. I generally set to the lowest output, and then just turn down if I have a more powerfull bass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='bumnote' post='429113' date='Mar 9 2009, 10:07 AM']The only pain is if you change your bass mid set then the levels are wrong. I generally set to the lowest output, and then just turn down if I have a more powerfull bass.[/quote]

Yep... that's what I do too. It's what made me start to wonder if it was right though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my Stingray 5 had this problem, although its older (95) and the polepieces had totally gone rusty from my sweat. In the end I got a replacement pickup and preamp from Musicman, and now its as it should be!

A B it to another MM in a shop, just to make sure, then you can also check the dc current from the pickup to see if that is shot. Any tech will be able to help you (for free hopefully).

The best contact at MM is Dan McPherson, very helpful guy! You can go to the ernie ball forum for advice as well [url="http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/"]http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/[/url]

ATB, Benn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the windings on one of the bobbins could be down

tap the poles on each set to see if the 'pop' is the same and if both are 'live' with the vol on and using a small screwdriver...dont tap too hard and keep the vol down on the amp
electrical measurements for resistance are more conclusive
the pickup can be rewound easily if there are complications in that area
i have read about this before

Edited by mrcrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do not fret Purpleblob!

This just recently happened to my Stingray, no amount of new batteries or fiddling could sort it, after much stressing the problem was traced to the battery compartment being busted, a new one is just £11. The thing is it was really hard to sus out what was going on cos it looked fine, connecting the wires directly to a battery exposed the fault (might be worth a try?)

Sadly i am still waiting for said part, as it has to come all the way from the old US of A.

In the meantime i am starting to get used to a Fender Jag and thinking it sounds ok........It is only a matter of time....

Tom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='TommyK' post='429465' date='Mar 9 2009, 03:32 PM']Do not fret Purpleblob!

This just recently happened to my Stingray, no amount of new batteries or fiddling could sort it, after much stressing the problem was traced to the battery compartment being busted, a new one is just £11. The thing is it was really hard to sus out what was going on cos it looked fine, connecting the wires directly to a battery exposed the fault (might be worth a try?)

Sadly i am still waiting for said part, as it has to come all the way from the old US of A.

In the meantime i am starting to get used to a Fender Jag and thinking it sounds ok........It is only a matter of time....

Tom[/quote]

Strangely, just after I got the bass one of the wires broke off the battery compartment. Surprisingly it still works (I guess as you have found) but the level is *very* low. Much lower than I am experiencing. I just have a lower than everything else situation. I've been through quite a few basses over the years and I've seen a huge range in output level. Being passive or active has, somewhat counter-intuitively, been nothing to do with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='429470' date='Mar 9 2009, 03:38 PM']Strangely, just after I got the bass one of the wires broke off the battery compartment. Surprisingly it still works (I guess as you have found) but the level is *very* low. Much lower than I am experiencing. I just have a lower than everything else situation. I've been through quite a few basses over the years and I've seen a huge range in output level. Being passive or active has, somewhat counter-intuitively, been nothing to do with it.[/quote]

I vaguely remember being surprised when I found out my old Stingray actually put out a very, very low signal without any battery in it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='dlloyd' post='429485' date='Mar 9 2009, 03:50 PM']I vaguely remember being surprised when I found out my old Stingray actually put out a very, very low signal without any battery in it.[/quote]

The circuit must have a signal path of some sort that bypasses the preamp chip. Handy in a last-ditch stand if your battery fails and you have no spare :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is not the EB MM pickup, but the EB MM 3 band preamp which is frankly not a good design. When I first got the EB MM lefty in '96, I remember it left me underwhelmed in terms of output. I replaced the pickup and the preamp and tried various combis - the EB MM preamp is crap for the pickup it has.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...